Thread-supply device for braiding-machines.



J. 0. MOKBAN.

THREAD SUPPLY DEVICE FOR BRAIDING MAOHINES.

' APPLIOATION FILED NOV. 2, 1908.

94:?,41 6. Patented Jan. 25, 1910.

%TATE PATNT OFFICE..

JOHN 0. MOKEAN, OF WESTFIELD, MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNOR TO FOSTER MACHINE COMPANY, OF WESTFIELD, MASSACHUSETTS, A CORPORATION OF MAINE.

THREAD-SUPPLY DEVICE FOR BRAIDING-MACHNES.

Specification of Letters Patent.

mtented Jan. 25, 1910.

Application filed November 2, 1908. Serial No. %Of/34.

To all whom it may concem:

Be it known that I, JOHN O. MCKEAN, a citizen of the United States, residing at WVestfield, in the county of Hampden and State of Massachusetts, have invented new and useful Improvements in Thread-Supply Devices for Braiding-Machines, of which the following is a specification.

My nvention relates to thread supply de vices for braiding machines and the like and has for its object to provide an improved device of this kind.

Heretofore cops for braiding machines have been made by winding the thread upon a wooden quill or tube having at one end an integral toothed enlargement or ratchet flange coperating with let-off means on the body of the racer or traveling thread carrier to control the rotation of. the cop on the usual spindle of the latter. Quills of the Construction referred to were objectionable because of the labor required and amount of stock wasted, in turning down the body of the quill in order to produce the ratchet flange at the lower end thereof, and also because the flange was frequently broken in handling the cop er while in use. Also with light wooden quills of the construction described the removal of the thread from the quill during the braiding operation so reduced the weight of the cop that it sometimes happened that the cop Would be lifted by 'the draft on the thread thereby interfering with the proper operation of the let-oti' devices.

which was objeetionable in packiug or ster in the cops.

Iy invention aims to obviate the above noted objections and it consists of a thread supply clevice or carrier con'prising a body, which may be the racer of a braiding machine, a spindle projecting from said body; a wheel loosely mounted on the spindle and adapted to be detachably coupled to the end of a tubular quill and means on the body cooperating with the wheel to control the rotation of the wheel and quill. This Construction permits of making the quills plain tubes without flanges much lighter, smaller and cheaper to make than the old form of wooden quill.

In the best form of my invention the quill Furthernore 1 the large toothed head or fiange at the end 5 of the quill occupied consderable space which holds the thread or yarn has its end made with one or more sockets to be engaged with a hook provided on the wheel to cou le the latter to the quill, the hook and soc (et being so constructed and arranged that when the wheel and quill are mounted on the spindle the hook is locked in the socket of the quill by said spindle.

Other features of my invention are herenat'ter pointed out.

In the accompanying drawings: Figure 1 is a side elevation of a braiding machine racer embodying one form of my invention; Fig. 2 is a central vertical sectional view of the racer shown in Fig. 1; F ig. 3 is a section on line 3-3 of Fig. 1; and Fig. 4 is a plan view of the ratchet wheel hereinafter referred to.

Having reference to the drawings wherein I have shown my invention embodied in a racer or traveling cop holder for a braiding machine, 1 represents the body of the racer, made with a cop-supporting spindle 2 and post 3 as usual, the latter provided at its upper end with a thread eye 1. On the post 3 .is loosely mounted the usual vertically I movable weight 5, the thread from the cop 6 extending through a perforation 7 in post 3 under said weight 5 and thence upwardly through thread eye 4 to the point where the hraiding is ell'ected. The body 1 on its top side is made with a thin rib 8 extendng froni post 3 to spindle 2 which is embraced by a forled latch 9 provided with an upwardly extending stern 10 made at its upper end with a loop 11 encircling post 3 above 'weight 5.

Loosely mounted 011 spindle 2 is a metal ratchet wheel 12 whose teeth 13 coperate with a projection l l on latch 9. On its upper face 'atchet wheel 12 is made with a lug 15 provided with a laterally projecting pin 16 said lug and pin constituting the hook above referred to. The quill 17 which holds the thread oiyarn is a plain tube of wood or the like whose lower end projects slightly beyond the winding of the cop and is made with a series of pert'orations or sockets 18 to receive the pin 16.

If desired the quill 17 may be a permanent though removable part of the racer in which case the eops G will be prepared so as to be forced down onto quill 17, the same quill 17 serving for all of the cops, but I prefer to wind each cop 6 on a quill 17 of its owns In quilllZ andratchet wheel 12 are ;l-ifted ofi' of the latter the hook 15-16 can be disengaged from the old quill and inserted in' one of the sockets 18 of the quill of a fresh onto the spindle 2 thus looking the ratchet and quill together.

Normally the lug 1 1 of latch 9 stands in the path of teeth 13 and thereby looks the ratchet` and quill against rotation. Continued draft on the thread however, raises weight-5 'and said weight'by engaging loop 11 lifts latch-9 so as to free ratchet 12 from' lug 14 and permit` cop 6 to rotate as the thread is drawn off. lVhenever the thread slackens sufiiciently to lower the weight 5 latch 9 falls with the weight into the path of teeth 13 and stops rotation of cop 6. The* teeth 13 of wheel 12 are ratchet teeth, thatis they are beveled as at 30 so that they can be forced past lugl l to re-wind slack yarn or thread upon the cop. As the thread unwinds fromcop 6 the point of departure of the thread from said cop shifts back: and forth between a point well above perforation 7 to a point well below perforation`7 so that for a considerable part of the time there is an upward pull on the cop which, with the old form of quill acted to lift the cop when the weight of the latter was reduced through the drawingoff of the thread; With my new thread support the ratchet wheel 12 being made of metal serves to hold the cop and qull down and prevent their being lifted inthis 'fashion regardless of the weight of the cop 6 so thatwheel 12 cannot be displaced relatively to the let-off latch.

The quills 17 are much cheaper and lighter than the old form of quill referred to'above, they do not occupy as much space and are not liable to be injured.

My new thread supply device is simple and cheap in Construction and can be manipulated with ease and despatch to remove i a depleted cop and substitute a fresh cop since, the mere removal of the quill and l ratchet wheel from the spindle unlocks those I parts while by simply inserting the pin 16 i l l l in one of the sockets 18 and sliding the quill and wheel onto the spindle the quill and wheel are locked together against separation and against relative rotary movement on the spindle, all being accomplished without the use of complicated or expensive fastening devices.

What I claim is:

1. A thread supply device of the character described, comprising a body; a spindle proy jecting from said body and adapted to carry i a quill; a wheel loosely mounted upon the 1 spindle and means connected with the wheel to positively lool: the wheel to the quill the body coperating with' the ratchet wheel, v the hook of the ratchet wheel being held' against movement in relation-- to the wheel in any direction when sad qull s mounted uponthe spindle from spindle 2 and-as soon as they are clear r 2. A thread supplydevice ofthe character described, comprising a body, a spindle proecting` from said body and-adapted to carry 'a quill; a wheel loosely nounted upon the cop. Then the ratchet and quill are slipped iquill loosely mountedon the spindle, said wheel being` provided with a hook engagng with said quill and held locked thereto by the spindle, and means on the body coperati ng with the ratchet 'wheel to' control the ..rota tion of the latter.

4:. A thread supply device of the character described comprising a body a. spindle projecting from the body; a ratchet wheel loosely mounted on the'spindle and provided with a quill' engaging hook; a quill j on said spindle made with one or more sock ets to receive the hook within which the hook is held locked by the spindle,-and means on the body coprating with the ratchet wheel to control the rotation of the ratchet wheel and quill.

5. In combination the body 1 provided With the spindle 2; theratchet wheel 12 provided with the quill engaging hook, the quill 17 provided with sockets 18 located below the thread carrying portion thereof, and means on body 1 coperating with ratchet wheel 12 to control therotation 'of said wheel and quill.

6. A racer for braiding machines conprising abody; a spindle projecting from said body; a ratchet wheel loosely mounted on the spindle and provided with ahook;` a quill loosely mounted on thespindle made with one or more sockets to receive the hook on the ratchet wheel, and, let-oil" devices on locked in the socket of thequillby the spindle.

7 A thread supply device of the character, described comprising a body; a spindle pro--- j ecting from said body a ratchet wheel and a quill loosely` moun ted on the spindle; -integral 'means carried by the-ratchetwheel for looking said wheel to the quill against movement in relation to the wheel in any` V direction, andmeans on the body coperating` with the ratchet wheelto control the q rotation of the latter;

8. A thread supply device of the character described comprisinga body; a spindle pro-- jccting from said body ;a ratchet wheel anda quill loosely mounted on the spindle; 1 Signed by me at Westfield, Mess., this means for preventing the longitudnal movetwenty fourth day of October, 1908. ment of the quill on the spndle Without r efiecting a corresponding movement of the JOHN MCKEAI" 5 ratchet wheel, and means on the body co- Witnesses:

E. T. FOWLER,

Operating With the ratchet wheel to control LESTER CAMPBELL.

the rotaton of the latter. 

